Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Shinhwa’s Shin Hye Sung releases special solo album, ‘Embrace’



We reported earlier that Shinhwa‘s vocalist, Shin Hye Sung, would be releasing a special albumcalled ‘Embrace‘, a collaboration project between indie and mainstream artists.


The singer had hinted during his encore concert in September that ‘Embrace’ would step away from his trademark ballad style. The special album carries more of a modern-rock flavor instead, a genre that Hye Sung hasn’t delved into since his Shinhwa days.


Im Hun Il (of rock band Mate) directed the entire album’s composition and brought together Walrusmember and the indie scene’s greatest bassist, Yang Shi On, as well as pianist Kim Jung Ahof Dear Cloud, and singer-songwriter Park Asel.


Check out some of the tracks below and make sure to support him by purchasing his album here!

Embrace

Stay

I Love You

A Day Like a Dream to Me (Ft. Park Ji Yoon)

Farewell

credits to : Carolcity


Tuesday, November 01, 2011

More Andy Discharge Pictures

Andy of the group Shinhwa speak to fans after completing his mandatory military service in Yongsan, Seoul on Monday.



credits: hancinema.net

Monday, October 31, 2011

More Andy Pictures








See pictures for credits

[11.10.31] Minwoo’s 30th Oct Facebook post: Andy’s finally discharged!


On the way back from Busan~ It’s tiring, travelling to and fro on the same day ㅠ

Tomorrow our Andy will finally be discharged from military! Congratulations, my dongsaeng♥

Credits: Minwoo’s FB + Absolut Shinhwa

[11.10.31] Andy, “Shinhwa activities will begin once Lee Minwoo and Junjin complete military service”

Shinhwa member Andy (Lee Seon Ho) shared upcoming plans regarding Shinhwa activities.

Completing his military obligations to the nation, Andy was officially discharged from the army on the morning of 31 Oct at the DEMA HQ in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Choked with emotion, Andy shed tears while expressing his feelings about completing military service.

Andy said, “Once the final two members complete their military service, Shinhwa activities will begin. I think we’ll need to work a lot on dancing.” At the moment, Shin Hyesung, as well as Eric and Kim Dongwan who have already completed their military service, have already resumed their showbiz activities, while Junjin and Lee Minwoo will be discharged from military service in Nov 2011 and Feb 2012 respectively.

Prior to this other Shinhwa members had already talked about the pending reunion and group activities, and with Andy’s comments this time round, the fans are in full anticipation of what’s in store. Once Lee Minwoo completes his public service duties, we can expect to see Shinhwa on stage.


During their temporary hiatus, despite the fact that members were either fulfilling their military duties or other showbiz activities, their strong friendship bonds stayed the same and they were viewed as a model example for idols. For example, during his day off, Andy paid a visit to Eric on the set of his drama. Instances like this show that their affection for one another have not changed at all. Unfortunately the Shinhwa members were unable to show up for Andy’s discharge from military service. Instead, Teen Top, whom Andy produced for, turned up to congratulate Andy on his discharge.

Regarding this, Andy said, “Eric and the other members were unable to make it today but it’s ok. We’ve already arranged to meet up tonight.”

Moved by the warm reception from the many fans who turned up, Andy choked on his tears as he repeatedly thanked them.

(content translated in previous article omitted)

Credits: Newsen + Absolut Shinhwa

[11.10.31] Andy, “My locker had photos of Teen Top instead of SNSD”


At about 8am on 31st Oct, Andy was officially discharged from military service at the DEMA HQ in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Standing in front of the photo wall and facing his fans who had gathered to welcome him, Andy was momentarily choked with emotion and couldn’t speak. After Andy declared his discharge from military service, he was asked about his favorite girl group.

“As expected it was SNSD. When SNSD appears on TV the entire unit becomes noisy. But stuck in my locker were always photos of Teen Top instead of SNSD.”

He added with a laugh, “I have to thank Teen Top for doing so well. In order to monitor what kind of clothes they were wearing and what kind of poses they were striking, I stuck their photos in my locker. The seniors and the juniors looked at me and misunderstood me.”

Present today to congratulate Andy on his discharge were members of idol group Teen Top, holding placards that read “Andy Sarang (love)” and making heart gestures, cracking Andy up. In addition, more than 300 fans from Japan, Taiwan, China and other countries were waiting at the venue with orange balloons in their hands.

After his discharge, Andy will embark on a full-scale Asia tour from early December onwards, travelling to Taiwan, Japan, China and Thailand to fulfil his promise to the fans who have been waiting for him.

Credits: OSEN + Absolut Shinhwa

[11.09.20] Dongwan’s Naver blog: 2011 (main page updated)

“People can invent the best and the worst for you.”

-

Celine, Before Sunrise

Shin Hye Sung confirms comeback date for Shinhwa


On October 16th, Shin Hye Sung held his Japanese concert, ‘Shin Hye Sung 2011 Japan Tour – The Road Not Taken Act III‘, and confirmed an official comeback date for legendary group, Shinhwa!

Shin Hye Sung revealed, “On March 24th of next year, the six members of Shinhwa are planning to get together to put out another album and perform. We’re currently meeting up frequently to share our opinions and ideas.”

He continued, “I’m also planning to release my own album in Korea this winter. It will be one filled with songs of my musical color. Please give much love for both my album and Shinhwa’s upcoming release.”

Shin Hye Sung kicked off his concert with “Awaken” and went on to perform songs like “Tick Tock“, “Think About It“, and “Don’t Love Somebody Else“. He also captivated his 5,000 member audience by performing songs off of his original Japanese album, “Find Voice in Song“.

Brown Eyed Soul‘s Youngjun was also invited as a special guest, and together they sang their duet, “A Bit Closer”.

Concluding the concert, he stated, “I’d like to genuinely thank my fans for always responding so passionately. I’ll be working with many great musicians to continue to improve as an artist.”

Source + Photos: OSEN via Naver

Shinhwa’s Andy returns from the military


On October 31st, Shinhwa‘s Andy concluded his two-year military duties and was welcomed back by a large group of fans.

He was dropped off by his fellow celebrity soldiers Lee Jun Ki, Lee Dong Gun, Park Hyo Shin, andLee Wan at the Yongsan military PR center in Seoul.

As a member of Shinhwa, Andy was the only member to serve in active duty: Kim Dong Wan, Eric,Jun Jin, and Lee Min Woo all served or is currently serving as a public service personnel. With Andy finishing his duties, all Shinhwa members, excluding Jun Jin and Lee Min Woo, have successfully finished their military services. Jun Jin is scheduled to finish his duties in November, and Lee Min Woo is scheduled for February.

Andy stated with anticipation, “I’m happy, but I’m also worried about how I will be active in the industry. I think if I do as much as I did in the military, the outcome will be good.”

When asked about Shinhwa activities, Andy replied, “We plan on starting as soon as Jun Jin and Lee Min Woo finish their service. I think I have to practice much dancing.”

Andy, who started his services in January of last year, was placed in the Defense PR center and appointed the MC of the ‘Entertainment Train‘ stage and of the military broadcast program. Meanwhile, starting December, Andy will be touring Asia to hold fanmeetings in order to greet his fans after a long-awaited two years. He will start in Korea and travel to Taiwan, Japan, China, and Thailand.

Source: Newsis via Naver + allKpop

Sunday, September 11, 2011

[11.08.30] Kim Dongwan broke up with his girlfriend because of ‘Hedwig’

Shinhwa member Kim Dongwan (32) and the actor Kim Dongwan are two different people altogether. Although he’s an idol star with the popularity that has hordes of fans running after him, when one meets him as an actor, he is all seriousness. After completing his military service late last year, he chose to work on the musical ‘Hedwig’ and the drama special ‘The Vertex’. He challenged himself with ‘Hedwig’, the transgender role that’s not easy even to veteran actors, and then went on to play the independence activist and poet Lee Yuk-sa in the Liberation Day drama special ‘The Vertex’. The route he has chosen to take can’t get any further from the recent trend of idol stars playing the male leads in sweet romantic plots. “I like the expression ‘actor of life’. It’s not wrong to say that acting should be natural like living. This year, my goal is to complete the outline of the actor Kim Dongwan.” With his shock confession about breaking up with his girlfriend, whom he dated for a short while, because he was too focused on the musical, shows that he has completely gone into ‘actor mode’.

Q: ‘Hedwig’ and ‘The Vertex’ are difficult projects. How did you come to the decision (to work on those projects)?
A: I chanced upon these two projects after I completed my military service and had a thirst for acting. I was even more attracted because these two characters are strong and difficult to portray. As much as it was difficult, I was looking forward to the opportunity for me to grow and develop. Of course it was difficult. I’m just thankful that the opportunity came my way.

Q: You played a transgender in ‘Hedwig’.
A: Actually in my acting projects so far, bits and pieces of Kim Dongwan come through every now and then. But in ‘Hedwig’ I can’t show even one second of myself. Because he’s a transgender. His gestures, expressions, how he blinks, all these have to be done like a woman. I put in so much effort that even though the performance has ended, I sometimes get shocked when I find myself still moving like a woman. Moreover men usually sit with their legs apart, I was like that too but after ‘Hedwig’ I often sit in a coquettish manner with my legs together.

Q: You played the role of the poet Lee Yuk-sa. Were you interested in poetry or history to begin with?
A: No. I didn’t have much interest in poetry and when I was still studying my least favorite subject was history. Although I know the name ‘Lee Yuk-sa’, I didn’t quite know who he was. At first I was attracted by the interesting script. As I was acting I realised, “This is how you learn about history”. It would be an exaggeration to say that I’m conscious of history but I will think about why future generations must know about history. Because we have to know about the people who protected the way we live now and we have to live with dignity.

Q: You seemed to have become more serious than you did before you went to the army.
A: Rather than becoming more serious, I think I’ve become less impetuous. I take things more easily too. Even if I see injustice I control my anger better than before. Haha. Before going to the army I was always impatiently thinking that I have to achieve something quickly. But after completing my duties I can’t achieve anything if I’m impatient. The fundamentals are the important things. So when I have time, I read and I travel, and I think about things a lot.

Q: During the filming of the drama, did your colleagues see you differently because you’re the singer Kim Dongwan?
A: No. It was like that in the past, but now they see me as their colleague. When I was filming for ‘The Vertex’, the feeling of camaraderie was even stronger. Compared to miniseries, one-act dramas are filmed under even harsher conditions. Perhaps because we all have to overcome the difficult filming together, everyone treats me with ease as a fellow actor.

Q: I can feel that your ambition for acting has become stronger.
A: This year I would like to be recognized as an actor. That’s also why I chose to work on ‘Hedwig’ and ‘The Vertex’. I’m at an ambiguous age right now. I’m not a newcomer and it’s been some time since I started acting. It’s strange for me to take on a young idol role too. I have no other way than to rely on my acting abilities.

Q: You’re a big senior among the idols. Thoughts of yourself back then must surface when you look at the idols these days.
A: When I see the juniors I think to myself, “It was really hard for us then”. Haha. Although we suffered because we didn’t get to sleep, there are more fun memories than difficult ones. Actually back then we’d take time off from our schedule to go out to drink and play. Things like work were instead like the remaining stuff.

Q: You’re already in your 30s. It should be time to think about marriage.
A: I want to get married at 35, and have a child born in the Year of the Goat, like myself. But I don’t even have the time to meet girls. To be honest before taking on ‘Hedwig’, for a short while I was dating someone I was introduced to. But because I was too focused on the musical, we drifted apart, and things naturally ended.

Q: I also hear that Shinhwa will be making a comeback next year. It’s already been 13 years, what’s the secret to the group’s longevity?
A: The members are all hot-tempered so we fought a lot. But we’re also impetuous people who can’t hide things so we’d just meet and work things out. The most important thing is not to take sides. We aren’t people who think highly of ourselves and try to split the group. Looks like that’s why we haven’t split. Haha.

Q: Shinhwa Company has been established too.
A: It’s a company that belongs to us, where the members are the major shareholders. President Mun Jung Hyuk (Eric) has worked very hard. We don’t know if the company will turn out well. Maybe we might even fight from the start. Even so, with Eric’s leadership, I think things will go well. I smile just thinking about our activities next year. It’s going to be really interesting. Not too long ago, Junjin and I were just saying, “As Shinhwa, let’s not just make do with things, we have to play like we’re crazy.

Q: What are your plans for the rest of the year?
A: Before starting on Shinhwa activities, I’m thinking of doing another acting project. I’m mulling over a few drama scripts now. I want to act about life. It will even better if it’s a drama like “Three Families Under One Roof” (an MBC morning drama that ran from 1986 to 1993), that talks about the lives of ordinary people.

Credits: ISplus + Absolut Shinhwa

[11.08.28] Dongwan’s Naver blog: 2011 (2 updates)

#1
No matter how much you might have disappointed me.
Have I left you…

#2
I have to go meet the dolphin as soon as possible!

Credits: Dongwan’s Naver blog + Absolut Shinhwa

[11.08.27] Eric’s Twitter update: About finding the right girl.



eric mun
나여깄어요! 언능나타나줬으면 좋겠다.의심하지않고 단번에 알아볼수있었음 좋겠다. 바로 알아봐주지못해 미안해지지않게. 우리나라사람인지 아닌지는 바로알수있으면서 내사람인지 아닌지는 확인해봐야만 알수있는것도 웃기다. 그냥말투에, 그냥표정에 모든게묻어났음좋겠다

I’m here! I hope you can appear right away. I hope I can recognize you at once without any doubt. Don’t feel sorry if I can’t recognize you straightaway. While I can tell right away whether or not you’re from our country, it’ll be funny because I’ll have to find out whether or not you’re mine (meaning: whether or not you’re the one I’m looking for). I hope I can find out everything just from the way you talk, just from your expression.

Credits: @miclarge1 + Absolut Shinhwa